Nashville SC still have potential home-field advantage in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs to play for in their visit Sunday to Supporters’ Shield champion Los Angeles FC.
But manager Gary Smith is looking at his team’s season finale in Southern California as a postseason dress rehearsal.
Fifth-place Nashville (12-10-11, 47 points) could climb to fourth or higher in the Western Conference with a win or draw, although that also depends on results involving the fourth-place Los Angeles Galaxy and third-place FC Dallas.
The top four finishers host a first-round playoff game. And LAFC has already secured a first-round bye and home field throughout the playoffs for winning the Supporters’ Shield.
Nashville already missed an enormous chance to move into those top four spots last weekend in a 2-1 home loss to the already-eliminated Houston Dynamo.
“We’re looking forward to trying to put ourselves into a position where we can test our mettle as it were and hopefully finish the season off on a decent note, and then look forward to what those postseason games look like,” Smith said. “Obviously there’s plenty of different scenarios that can occur come (Sunday) afternoon.”
There are also personal honors to play for. Nashville attacker Hany Mukhtar’s 23 goals lead the MLS Golden Boot race, with Austin’s Sebastian Driussi two behind.
Meanwhile, LAFC (21-8-4, 67 points) clinched the league’s top record with a 2-1 win at the Portland Timbers last weekend. They could still finish even on points with Philadelphia with a loss and a Philly win but hold the first tiebreaker of total victories.
That means LAFC won’t have to travel for the remainder of the year, but also will face a layoff before their playoff opener. Their first playoff game at Los Angeles will be either Oct. 20 or Oct. 23.
Sunday provides the last chance to generate some momentum, particularly for midseason attacking additions like Gareth Bale and Denis Bouanga. That duo has combined for only three goals in their first 18 appearances, with Bouanga’s lone goal deciding last weekend’s win.
“We would love to end the season at home with a victory and a good performance,” LAFC manager Steve Cherundolo said. “Those two elements are extremely important moving into the playoffs.”
–Field Level Media
